Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (東京農工大学, Tōkyō nōkō daigaku), also referred to as Tokyo NODAI or simply NODAI, is a public research university located in Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan. The university was established in 1949 as the Tokyo Higher School of Agriculture and Forestry following the merger of two national agricultural schools. It became a full-fledged university in 1966 and was renamed to its current name in 2004.
The university has six faculties: Faculty of Agriculture, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Faculty of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Faculty ofEngineering , Faculty Humanities and Social Sciences ,and Graduate school . In addition to these faculties, there are eleven other research institutes on campus. As of May 2020, the university has produced three Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine.
Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology is one of the leading universities in Japan for agricultural and technological education and research. With its six faculties covering a wide range of fields such as agriculture, engineering, biosciences and humanities & social sciences, the university offers a unique interdisciplinary curriculum which helps its students develop into well-rounded professionals who can contribute to society in various ways.
The origins of Tokyo University Of Agriculture And Technology go back to 1874 when the first imperial collegeof agriculture was established. This was followed by the openingofthe Imperial College Of Engineeringin 1881and Imperial College Of Sciencein 1888. These colleges were merged into one institution called The Tokyo Technical School(東京工業専門学校)in 1897and then renamed againto The Tokyo Technical High School(東京帝国高等専門学校)in 1907as part offoundational reforms underthe new Meiji Constitutionwhich placed emphasis on science and technology education.In 1926this high school spawned two new institutions:The Agricultural DepartmentOf The First Higher School(第一高等学校農林部)and Forestry DepartmentOf The Second Higher School(第二高等学校林業部).These departments eventually became separate national agricultural colleges known respectively as Tokai Imperial University’s College Of Agriculture(東海帝国大学農学部)and Hokkaido Imperial University’s College Of Forestry(北海道帝国大学林業部).In 1949these two institutions were mergedto formthe current Tokyo University Of Agriculture And Technology .
While it started out with just two departments -agriculture & forestry-, over time more departments were added such asengineering , applied biological sciences & bioscience & biotechnology . In 2004the name “Tokyo Agricultural University”was changedto “Tokyo Universityof Agriculture And Technology”to better reflectits expanded scopeof activities . Since its inception NODAIhas been at thee forefrontof scientific& technological innovationin Japan . It is home to numerous state-ofthe-art facilities includinga Centerfor Advanced Electron Microscopy , an X-ray Free Electron Laser Facility , an Animal Experimentation Facility , an Atmospheric Simulation Chamber& many more . Moreover , it hosts some world-renowned researchers suchas Nobel Laureate Shinya Yamanaka who leads theresearch center CIRM (Centerfor iPS Cell Research And Application)on campus . Other notable alumni include Hiroshi Amano& Isamu Akasaki -recipientsofthe 2014 Nobel Prize In Physics For their inventionof blue LED lights-, Takashi Onishi -President& CEO OF Toyota Motor Corporation since 2016-, Kenji Sasaki -former PresidentOF Sony Corporation-, among others . In recent yearsNODAI has been working on initiatives aimed at becoming more internationalized& attracting students from all overthe world . It currently offers exchange programs with over 100 partner universitiesacross 40 countries & provides support for incoming international students throughits International Affairs Division which assists with everything from visa procedures tonhousing options . There are also plans to set up an overseas campus somewhere outsideJapan within 10 yearsbut nothing concrete has been decided yet about where this will be or what type offacilities it will have